User equipment such as smart phones, tablets and laptop computing devices have evolved due to enhanced functionality, thereby becoming increasingly autonomous, ubiquitous devices. That is, unlike traditional personal computers, handheld evolved user equipment are fast becoming part of each face-to-face social interaction among users, whether the interaction is between business professionals, governmental officials, or students or whether an interaction occurs in the context of the burgeoning social media (e.g., Facebook and the like). In each face-to-face social interaction a variety of digital data may need to be exchanged among the users.
In order to allow an exchange of data among previously unassociated user equipment some type of pairing techniques is employed among devices to set up ad hoc communications. Conventional pairing techniques represent a trade-offs between complexity and security of the data exchanged. For example, Bluetooth™ personal area networks can establish relatively secure ad hoc communications among user equipment. However, pairing user equipment using this method is time consuming due to the device discovery process and exchange of PINs between previously unassociated devices. Other conventional pairing techniques providing enhanced security employ similar exchanges of seed values or PINS, as well as more complex methods using computationally intensive public key cryptography. Each of these pairing techniques providing enhanced security consumes battery power and involves varying levels of user interaction and, as such, are less user friendly, particularly among less technical savvy users.
Alternatively, conventional unsecured pairing techniques can be employed which can, for example, require one or more simple gesture sequences to initiate an exchange of data between previously unassociated user equipment. However, these convention unsecure pairing techniques are susceptible to eavesdropping in various forms and as such, are inherently insecure. For example, Bump is a popular conventional unsecure pairing technique employed for data exchange among previously unassociated user equipment. This technique requires Bump software installed on each user equipment, as well as connection to a bump server. The user transmitting data bumps his or her user equipment against the receiving user equipment to transfer the data. The bump server thereafter determines which user equipment are actually physically interacting based on each UE's reported time, location, and the measured force with which the two phones were physically bumped together. This technique is susceptible to eavesdropping by a malicious party who could observe when and where the users bump their user equipment together with an estimate of the force of the bump. Accordingly, the malicious party can submit that information to the bump server which could transfer data to the malicious party's user equipment. Other similar conventional unsecure pairing techniques utilize each user equipment's vibrator and accelerometers to create authentic sounds for identification of each user equipment for subsequent data exchange. Like bump, this pairing technique is susceptible to eavesdropping by a malicious party who could listen in on the initial pairing of devices and subsequently eavesdrop in the later communication after decrypting the vibrations.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and computer implemented operation that would allow for localized secure transmissions among previously unassociated user equipment that is secure and user friendly.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.